


Darcy Lewis's Baby

by jordsy91



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Accidental Pregnancy, F/M, OT3, Tumblr: fuckyeahdarcylewis, loosely based on Bridget Jones's Baby, past Darcy Lewis/Steve Rogers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-31
Updated: 2017-07-01
Packaged: 2018-09-21 03:55:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9530459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jordsy91/pseuds/jordsy91
Summary: Darcy is pregnant. There's just one problem; she doesn't know which super soldier is the father.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> It's 2am and I'm posting a fic. Is this the AO3 equivalent of midnight blogging? Probably.

Darcy honestly hadn't meant for this to happen. Falling into bed with Bucky right after Steve had dumped her definitely hadn't been her proudest moment. But she'd been hurt, and drunk. And Bucky was almost as mad at Steve as she was. _'If he doesn't know what a good thing he's let go, Doll, then he doesn't deserve a second thought.'_

He had dumped her, out of the blue, 'for her safety', after she'd been involved in a _teeny tiny_ kidnapping thanks to some friendly-neighborhood HYDRA goons that had managed to make the connection between her and Steve.

He was scared. She got it. She was, too. 

_'Give him time. The punk will come to his senses.'_ Bucky had assured her, sitting at the kitchen counter as she'd baked batch upon batch of stress cookies. Beating the batter was keeping her from beating Steve's stupid face, at any rate.

She'd almost believed Bucky's assurances, until she ran into Sharon exiting Steve's rooms. Two fucking days after they'd broken up.

Darcy could still feel the anger and humiliation rushing over her in heated waves, just thinking about it. She'd rushed away, heedless to Sharon's stammered explanations. If Steve didn't want her, who gives a fuck, right?

(She very much gave a fuck.)

Bucky had found her in the kitchen later that night, elbows-deep in Ben & Jerry's, and she'd spilled her guts to him.

_'He's fucking Sharon.'_

Bucky had, much to Darcy's utter horror, confronted Steve the next morning. It didn't go well. Steve had barely denied it, Bucky had later told her, stubbornly and righteously asserting that it was nobody's business what went on in his private life. Bucky had confided in Darcy that this meant Steve was feeling some degree of shame, deep down. 

Darcy had confided in Bucky that Steve could go fuck himself, or Sharon. Whatever. She wasn't going to play second fiddle, not now or ever. She wasn't going to play desperate ex-girlfriend, either. She'd picked herself up, splashed some cold water on her face and dragged Bucky to a club, dressed to the nines, intent on finding a fling to make herself feel better.

Somehow (it might have had something to do with the copious amounts of alcohol consumed), that had led to some spec-fucking-tacular bathroom sex at the club with Bucky. Then some spectacular elevator sex en route to Bucky's floor, topped off with some equally amazing sex in Bucky's bed. Which was in Steve's apartment. 

It wasn't like _that._ She wasn't that vindictive. Steve had been away on a mission, thank fuck. It had made her next-morning walk-of-shame much more bearable. She'd reclaimed her favourite dress from Steve's drawers, changed her underwear, and left Bucky a 'sorry, I had to go to work' text. She'd headed down to confide in Jane, then did her best to put the whole week behind her. 

 

Bucky had understood it was a one-night thing (he didn't want to hurt Steve any more than she did, really), and things between them had been mercifully normal since. 

. . .

It had been a month and a half since the breakup, and she was doing really well. She had even started feeling better. 

Had. Then she'd started throwing up.

 

. . .

 

She clutched the plastic stick in her hands with a white-knuckled grip, praying to Odin, Thor, Santa Claus, that it would be negative. 

One line appeared. The control line. 

She exhaled in relief.

A second line started to bleed into focus.

"Oh, fuck."

Darcy isn't ashamed to admit that she hyperventilated.

 

. . .

 

Jane, of course, was the first person she confided in.

"Janey." She wandered into the lab feeling numb, pregnancy test stashed deep into her pocket.

"Hmm?" Came the questioning response.

"Janey. Code Red." She bit out, sitting at her desk. Jane immediately snapped out of her science haze.

"JARVIS, privacy protocols. Foster, one-nine-nine-two-alpha." Jane said, moving to join Darcy at her desk.

"Privacy protocols initiated." JARVIS replied, and Darcy breathed a nervous sigh of relief. She patted her pocket, wondering how best to say it.

"What's wrong Darce?" Jane prompted gently, resting a warm hand on her arm.

Darcy fished the pregnancy test out of her pocket, setting it on the desk wordlessly. Jane peered at it, looking from the positive test to Darcy, who was as white as a sheet.

"Oh!" Jane exclaimed in surprise. "How are we feeling about this?" She asked, not wanting to congratulate nor commiserate until she knew the appropriate response.

"Overwhelmed." Darcy answered honestly. "I'm pro-choice..." She trailed off.

Jane nodded. "I'm sensing a 'but' here?" 

"I can't get an abortion. I just can't." With those words, Darcy realised her decision had truly been made. She had toyed with the idea of an abortion, had been toying with it for the ten whole minutes she had known she was pregnant. But she couldn't do it. As much as she hated Steve right now, she just couldn't. And she didn't want to. Kids had always been on her agenda, and yeah this was earlier than she'd planned. But she knew already in her heart what she wanted to do.

"Well, you'd better make a doctor's appointment then." Jane advised, leaning in to give her a hug. Darcy nodded in agreement, wrapping her arms around her friend. She'd call her OB/GYN later.

"So.." Jane began, "not to poke at a sensitive subject, but.. Is it Bucky's or Steve's?"

"Oh my fuck." Darcy said numbly. "I hadn't even thought of that. Oh god. What do I do?"

Jane's face was sympathetic. "Honey, I have no idea. Doctor's first?"

"Doctor's first." Darcy decided, repeating it like a mantra in her head.

She had steadfastly avoided Bucky for the rest of the day, thankful the Avengers were leaving on a mission that evening. 

. . .

Darcy had visited her OB/GYN later that week, and it had been confirmed. She was pregnant. Estimated 8 weeks along, from the dates she had given the Doctor.

After a very awkward and embarrassing conversation, they had established together that either Bucky or Steve could be the father. Darcy had always had irregular cycles, so the date of her ovulation could have been earlier or later in the week, and implantation could take between five and twelve days, so it was really anyone's guess what date conception had been.

"This really happens more than you might think." Doctor Marsh had reassured her kindly, with a pat on the arm. She was a middle-aged woman, who was English and proper, and Darcy had been worried that she might have been judgmental about her indiscretions. She had been glad to be wrong about that.

"Is there any way to tell before the baby is born?" Darcy asked, mentally crossing her fingers.

"There is. It does carry some risk." Doctor Marsh replied. 

Darcy had left the appointment with a bottle of prenatal vitamins, mind swirling with statistics and risk factors for the procedure. 

Before she even reached her apartment, she knew she couldn't go through with it. Damn it all to hell, but she loved this baby already, and she wouldn't put it at risk because of her own mistakes. She would wait, and she would hope for the best. Maybe she could hide her pregnancy? Yes, she'd hide it. Until baby was born, and she could tell the father.

She decided to ask Pepper for a transfer to another city. Maybe the Boston or Toronto R&D offices.

. . .

She was horribly, horribly naive to think that she could keep this a secret.

She blamed Thor. But we'll get to that later.

Thor had been off planet for a few months, having left before Darcy's kidnapping and the whole breakup incident. He returned in January, when Darcy was fourteen weeks pregnant. 

Darcy had taken to wearing her baggier jumpers to hide her growing stomach. Her personal style usually involved baggy sweaters and jackets, a scarf and leggings. It was amazing how easy it was to hide her pregnancy, especially now she'd stopped throwing up. She felt confident that she still had plenty of time to talk to Pepper about a transfer before she started showing so much that it was impossible to hide. She was carrying pretty small, so she figured she had at least two months before it became noticeable. 

She was thankful that it was winter now, and cold enough to dress in bulky clothes even in the warmth of the tower.

The day Thor returned to the tower, Darcy had been having an intense craving for cake, so she'd taken over the communal kitchen, baking up a storm. 

"Darcy!" Thor's voice had boomed as he strode in with Jane. "What is that wonderful smell?" He asked, settling in at the island counted next to Bucky. Jane sat next to Thor, smiling ear to ear with happiness, glad to have her man back.

Darcy blinked back tears of irrational jealousy, plastering a smile on her face as she served up some cake to her friends.

"Here you go, big guy." She slid a plate towards him. "We've missed you!" She said, picking up a slice of cake for herself, taking a large bite and savoring the taste.

Steve came in for a coffee, and Darcy prided herself on her maturity as she offered him some cake too.

Thor, having finished his slice of cake, looked at Darcy properly, a grin breaking out on his face.

"I see congratulations are in order, Captain!" He boomed happily. Steve shot Thor a look of confusion. Darcy choked on her cake. Fuck, trust Thor to be the first person to notice. Maybe that 'God of Fertility' myth had been right after all.

Coughing violently, Darcy shook her head at Thor. Jane joined the effort, trying to silence Thor before he said something that would disturb Darcy's very hard-won peace.

"What do you mean, Thor?" He asked warily, clearly confused that Thor was happy with him after everything he'd done to hurt Darcy.

"Why, the babe of course!" He said, nodding to Darcy. "Pregnancy suits you, Darcy." He said warmly, smiling contentedly.

Darcy continued choking, turning to the sink for a glass of water. She took her time sipping at it, calming her throat and her nerves. Damn it, this complicated matters greatly. Her face flushed with horror.

Steve's voice was soft and hesitant as he spoke to her, as if she might break. 

"You're pregnant?" He asked.

She turned to face everybody again. 

Well, in for a penny, in for a pound.

"I am." She said.

"Is it mine?" Steve asked, looking dumbfounded for the first time that she'd ever seen.

Darcy wanted to be anywhere but there, as she looked from Steve to Bucky, who looked devastated. She breathed out a shaky sigh, placing her glass on the counter.

"I don't know." She admitted. Steve flinched like she'd hit him.

"This is our cue to leave." Jane said, looking questioningly at Darcy, who nodded. Privacy would be better for this conversation. Jane patted her hand in solidarity, before leading Thor out of the room.

Steve sat where Jane had been, looking lost. "Bucky, do you mind?" He asked, nodding to the door. Bucky went to stand, but Darcy stopped him.

"No." She said, and Bucky settled back into his seat. "Bucky needs to be a part of this conversation."

It didn't take Steve long to figure out why that was. The look of betrayal in his eyes was precisely why Darcy had wanted to hide her pregnancy until she knew whose baby it was. She had unintentionally driven a wedge between two best friends. Granted, Bucky had been complicit too, but she had solely made the decision to keep the baby, risking the secret of their time together becoming public.

"Did you cheat on me with Bucky?" Steve asked. Darcy's guilt quickly turned to anger.

Bucky answered before she could. "No. Of course not. It happened after you broke up." 

"How dare you ask me that when I had to see Sharon leave your room two fucking days after we broke up." Darcy breathed, low and angry.

It was Steve's turn to look chastised. He held his hands up in surrender. "That wasn't what it seemed. I promise. But Bucky is my best friend, Darce. This kind of feels personal."

"It happened a few days after we broke up. We were drunk, I was upset. We never intended for you to find out. That's all you need to know." Darcy said.

"Why didn't you tell us when you found out you were pregnant?" Bucky asked, clearly upset.

"I was scared. I didn't want to come between you both. My plan was to transfer before I couldn't hide it anymore, and tell you when the baby was born and I knew who was the father."

"Doll, that's a fucking terrible plan." Bucky said, though he seemed less upset with her now he knew she hadn't intended to cut him out entirely.

"I know, and I'm sorry. It was selfish of me. But I was really fucking scared. I still am."

"No more secrets?" Bucky asked, and Darcy agreed. 

"Okay. I don't expect either of you to be comfortable with this though. I know it's weird. I won't be mad if either of you don't want to be involved." Darcy said. Both Bucky and Steve looked insulted at this, and she had the horrible feeling that she'd said something wrong.

"What kind of guys do you take us for?" It was Steve who spoke this time. 

"In our day you didn't get a girl in trouble and leave her to deal with it alone." Bucky added. 

In all truth, it had gone better than she'd hoped for. Though she knew she still had some headway to make in regaining their trust.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Conversations are had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so the chapter count has increased from 2 to 4, but may go up again. This chapter got away from me.

Later that evening, Darcy was decompressing in a bubble bath. A lukewarm one, because apparently pregnancy = no hot baths. She was bitter about that one, but followed the rule to a t. 

She was running over the events of the day, still feeling immeasurably guilty for how Bucky and Steve had found out they might potentially be a father. Thor had later apologised, and she wasn't mad at him. He had assumed Steve and Darcy were still together, and the pregnancy was common knowledge. 

At any rate, the damage was already done. And she could only place the blame at her feet. It was her secret, and her indiscretions that had led her to this point. It had been bound to blow up in her face sooner or later.

Things with Steve had been irreparably wrecked after their break up, especially after the 'Sharon Incident', as it had been dubbed. Darcy didn't see that there was much to salvage between them.

Bucky, though.. He had been there for her in exactly the way that she had needed. He was one of her closest friends. She didn't want this to ruin their friendship. It was bad enough that she had now come between him and Steve.

Struck with the sudden impulse to see him, she pulled the plug from the bathtub. She would go to him. Apologise again, and try and salvage what she had wrecked. She dried off quickly, putting some leggings and a shirt on. She forewent the bulky sweater; the cat was out of the bag now. It didn't matter who saw her bump.

Five minutes later saw her knocking at the door to Steve and Bucky's apartment, hair still damp and bunched into a bun atop her head. It was Steve that answered.

"Darcy? I'm sorry sweetheart, I was just leaving." He apologised, gesturing to his tac suit. He looked genuinely regretful. His eyes trailed down to her stomach searchingly, taking in the sight of her bump for the first time. "Wow." He breathed. "I'm really sorry, but I have to run." 

"No, that's okay. I was actually here to see Bucky." She said, and Steve's face fell slightly, before his poker face kicked in. 

"Oh. Well, I'll catch you later." He promised.

 _'Oh, Steve. Always with the walls.'_ She thought, watching his facial expressions change rapidly. She waved him off, and headed inside the apartment.

"Bucky?" She called from the door, shutting it behind her gently. She settled down on the couch to wait for him. She was only fourteen weeks along, but damn if her back knew that. It was aching something fierce already.

 

It didn't take long for Bucky to come out. She heard the sound of a door opening, and footsteps coming up the hall towards her. He rounded the corner, wearing sweatpants and not much else. His hair was damp like hers, and they even had matching buns. He must have just finished showering. He glanced at her belly much the same as Steve had, but came back to himself sooner, opening his mouth to speak.

"Hi, Darce. Is everything okay?" He asked, coming to sit next to her. 

"Can we talk?" She asked hopefully, tucking one leg under herself and turning to face him.

"Of course." He gently took her hand, holding it between his. "How are you doing?" 

"I feel like I should be asking you that question." She demurred. "You've just had the shock of your life sprung on you." 

"I have," he replied truthfully, "but not everything is about me. It can't have been easy being you for the last few months. I'm sorry that you felt you had to keep it secret." 

Fuck, but he looked genuinely guilty.

"No, this was my fault." Darcy insisted. "You don't need to feel bad at all!"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Doll, it takes two to tango.. Or in this case, three." He chuckled, shaking his head. "None of this is ideal, but it's not just on you."

"Still. I'm sorry I got us all into this mess. I'm also really sorry you had to find out the way you did." She said, avoiding eye contact. 

"Darce, look at me." 

She did, reluctantly.

"I'm not mad. I was a bit upset, and things are uncertain at the moment, sure. But now I know, Steve knows, and we can figure this out." He said, drawing her into his arms. 

Fuck he was warm, and he smelled so good. She settled into his arms. He was being so understanding, and this was such a shit situation. The adrenaline that had been coursing through her dissipated, turning her anxiety into tears. 

 

_Thanks a lot, hormones. Kick a girl when she's down._

"Oh, Darce." He said sympathetically, hugging her closer. 

"This is going to sound horrible." She said shakily, "But things with Steve are fucked. There's no coming back from that, and I'm not sure I'd even want to. But I couldn't lose you, too. I just couldn't." 

"Don't worry Doll. It's gonna take more than a little paternity dispute to get rid of me. I'm in this for the long haul, whether that baby is mine or not. I promise."

It would be another week before Darcy saw Steve again. Bucky had explained that Steve wasn't avoiding her; he was away on a week-long mission. The timing had been inconvenient however, though hopefully Steve would return with a clear head and a made-up mind. 

 

. . .

 

There was a knock at Darcy's door as she was making dinner. Bucky was due to arrive any minute, so she called out. 

"Come on in!" She continued stirring the pot on the stove. The door opened, and she turned to greet him. To her surprise, it was Steve, still in his tac suit.

"I think we should get married." He said breathlessly, pulling a ring box out of his pants pocket. 

His first words to her since seeing her outside his apartment last week was a fucking proposal.

"Excuse me?" Darcy squeaked out. Surely she had misheard him.

"Hear me out. You're having a baby-" 

She cut him off. "Am I?" She asked sarcastically, looking at her bump in mock-surprise. "I thought I'd just eaten too much lunch!" 

"Darcy, please." Steve said. "We could pick back up where we left off." 

Darcy snorted. "Funny, because I remember us leaving off on a breakup for a made up reason and then finding Sharon in your apartment two days later." 

Steve sighed stressfully. "This Sharon thing again? Nothing is going on between us. There never was anything going on. She was helping me with intel, nothing more." 

"Is that what they called it in your day? 'Intel'? Why did you tell Bucky it wasn't any of his business then?" She was being cruel and she knew it, but damn it, he had hurt her first, and worse.

"It was intel on Bucky, and Hydra. She found more trigger words. I didn't want him to know, because I wanted to find a solution first." Steve confessed.

"Fuck." She felt like a first class bitch. She'd fucked his best friend, two days after their break up, all because of a misunderstanding. She hadn't chosen Bucky out of spite; it had just happened organically, with the help of Jose Cuervo of course. But it had still happened. 

"So, what do you say?" He asked, holding up the ring box again.

"I'm sorry Steve. But my answer is no." 

His face fell.

"Can I ask why?"

"Because a shotgun wedding might have been what was done in the Forties, but I'm a modern woman. I can be a single parent. You broke up with me for a reason, Steve." She reminded him gently, laying a hand on his arm.

"It wasn't because I didn't love you, Darce. I did. I still do. I thought I was doing the right thing." He said, crestfallen.

"But that was the problem, Steve. _You_ thought. _You_ decided. You didn't involve me in the conversation at all. That doesn't make for a good marriage, or for good parents. If I was going to marry anyone, it would have to be a proper partnership. We never had that." 

Steve sighed again. "Fuck, you're right. You're right. I'm sorry. I should go. I'll talk to you later." He said, leaving quietly. 

 

Bucky arrived five minutes later to find dinner burnt, and Darcy devastated.

"Doll, it doesn't matter." He reassured, taking the pot off the stove. "We'll order in. No need to cry." He helped her up off the ground, pulling her into a hug.

"It's not that." Darcy explained between sobs. "Steve just proposed." 

Bucky tensed immediately, and Darcy realised she might not have been supposed to tell him that. 

"What did you say?" He asked in a level tone, surreptitiously inspecting her left hand for a sign of a ring.

"I said no." 

 

If Bucky felt relieved at that then well... that was his business.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Supersoldier discussions. Not as much violence as you might expect, sorry. :P

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the total chapter count has risen again. This fic is dangerously close to becoming a long one. This one's a short interlude, but important.

Bucky burst into the gym bright and early the next morning, murder strut in full force. Steve had never come home to their apartment last night, and Bucky knew where he'd find him. He was right; Steve was at the punching bags, a trail of destruction in the form of torn bags littering the gym floor. 

Steve was oblivious to Bucky's arrival, which worked well for Bucky. He would be unable to avoid this conversation, and it was long overdue. He came to a stop a few feet away from Steve, and crossed his arms.

"You proposed to Darcy." It wasn't a question. The poor woman had poured her heart out to Bucky last night over takeout, and it had been all Bucky could do not to track Steve down right then and there to lay a punch on his ridiculously stubborn face.

Steve ceased his attack on the punching bag, turning to face Bucky. Jesus, he looked a fucking wreck. He was flushed and breathing heavily, and had tear tracks down his face. He'd clearly pushed himself to the limit down here to punish himself. Christ, he must have been here all night.

"I did. I fucked up, Buck." He said hopelessly, sitting down on a fallen punching bag. His hands were bruised and bloodied, swollen and split at the knuckles from his extended jaunt in the gym. "She said I was making decisions without her. She's right. I _do_ do that."

 

He looked pitiful, but Bucky wasn't going to let him off that easy.

"You did fuck up." Bucky agreed. "And you _do_ do that. You totally cut me out of that one, Steve. And you sprung it on her. That wasn't fair. You're not the only one that loves her." 

"You love her?" Steve asked, looking up at Bucky properly for the first time. 

"I do. Kept my distance when she was with you. But the night we shared... It didn't mean nothing. But regardless of the circumstances, you can't just propose to a lady because she might be carrying your baby Steve, Jesus. She said you just left after she turned you down. I found her crying on the floor." Bucky said. 

"Fuck, I gotta talk to her." Steve jumped to his feet. He swayed slightly, and Bucky had to reach out and steady him.

"Right now, you gotta rest. Go to bed, get some sleep. Have a shower. You can't go to her like this, man." Bucky pointed out, wrinkling his nose at the smell. "And when you're ready to talk, and she's ready to talk, we will all talk. Together. No more making decisions for her, or for me. No more fucking secrets, Steve. Do you understand?" He asked, looking at his friend seriously.

"I promise. In this together, 'til the end of the line, right?" Steve asked. 

If Bucky didn't know Steve the way he did, he might have thought he was just saying what he needed to. But he knew Steve better than Steve knew himself. He was afraid. Afraid of losing everything. Afraid that he already had. And that meant he was finally ready to listen.

"Til the end of the line. You're lucky you have me, you big lug. Still can't talk to girls, eighty years later." Bucky groused, wrapping an arm around Steve's shoulders as they headed for the elevator. "None of this is about us anymore. It's time our girl's given what she deserves." He pulled out his phone, and sent off a quick text, receiving an immediate reply.

"You're right. It's about Darcy from now on. I hope she hears me out." 

Bucky held up his phone, showing Steve a message on his phone. "You're in luck, Punk. Dinner at her place tonight. We're gonna sort this shit out before this kid's born."


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'Girl Talk' with Darcy & Jane.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter does not pass the Bechdel Test. Sorry.

Darcy arrived at work the next morning upset. So much so that Jane had noticed through her science haze. She'd taken one look at Darcy's red-rimmed eyes and blotchy face, and she'd immediately sent everyone home for the day so they could talk. Jane was a good bro.

They made their way up to Darcy's apartment together. Darcy unlocked the door and they went inside together. 

"Do you want a coffee?" She offered Jane, kicking her shoes off and walking to the kitchen. 

"Always." Jane smiled thankfully, and followed. She sat at the counter while Darcy found coffee mugs. "So, what happened here?" She asked, noticing the dirty pot on the stove and the takeout containers in the top of the trash.

Darcy sighed. "Steve got back from his mission last night. Came to see me." She passed Jane her coffee, made exactly the way she liked it. 

"Oh well that's good, he isn't avoiding you." Jane said, taking a sip. "Thanks." She gestured to the cup.

"No, he wasn't avoiding me." Darcy said, taking a swig of her own coffee. "But he probably will now." She said, putting her cup down on the counter. "I feel like scones." She decided, opening her pantry for the ingredients. 

She moved about the kitchen, gathering the ingredients and a mixing bowl. If she was baking scones, it was bad.

She was rubbing the butter into the flour when Jane spoke again.

"Why are you baking your 'I'm feeling guilty' food Darcy? What happened?" Jane asked, more concerned now.

"Steve proposed last night." She blurted out. "Four months ago, I would have said yes in a heartbeat." She poured the milk in, stirring the dough with a butter knife. She was avoiding Jane's eyes; she always spilled her secrets better without eye contact.

"And now?" Jane asked.

She took a moment to compose her thoughts. "He dumped me, Jane. It turns out he wasn't fucking Sharon after all, but he still dumped me. Right after I was kidnapped. I went through a trauma and lost my boyfriend all at once. I loved him." She sighed. "Fuck, I still do. But he doesn't love me." 

"He did dump you, and yeah it was a dick move. But why did he ask you to marry him if he doesn't love you?" Jane asked. 

Darcy dumped the dough out onto the bench, and pointed the butter knife at Jane. "I can see what you're getting at Jane, but you're wrong. He has some fucked up nineteen-forties sense of propriety. He just wants a shotgun wedding, because I might be carrying his baby. It's a pity proposal." Darcy said, tossing the knife in the sink.. She picked up the rolling pin, rolling the dough out. "No, it's worse. It's a duty-proposal."

"Did he say that?" Jane was outraged. "I'll kill him myself!" She declared.

"No!" Darcy placated, looking at Jane for the first time. She put down the rolling pin, sighing. "He didn't say it, but I just know."

Jane looked doubtful, but wisely kept her thoughts on the matter to herself.

"So what did you tell him when he asked?" Jane took another sip of her coffee, giving Darcy time to process her thoughts.

"I said no. Then I basically told him he needed to stop making decisions for everyone." 

And he did need to stop that. She was not going to raise a kid with Steve - if it was his kid - if he kept making choices for everyone like some kind of omnipotent deity. (Though, he did have the body of a god, so there was that..)

"Well, that was a fair call. He does do that all the time. How did he take it?" Jane asked.

"Not great. He seemed pretty upset. He said I was right, and then he just left." She picked up a cup to cut the scones with. "I don't think I'll be hearing from him again anytime soon. But, it needed to be said." 

"He'll come around." Jane assured. "You know, for an elderly man he sure has some growing up to do." 

Darcy laughed. "Don't I know it!" She put the tray of scones in the oven, then washed the dough remnants off her hands.

"So.. Does Barnes know that Steve proposed?" 

"He turned up right after Steve left. I was pretty upset, so he didn't take it very well." Darcy said. "I don't think I've ever seen him so mad." 

"Well, Steve did go and propose to his maybe-baby-mama." Jane pointed out. "I wonder if he knew Steve was going to ask you?"

Darcy wrinkled her nose. "Nope, he didn't have a clue. That is so not what we're calling me, by the way." 

"If you say so, Mama." 

Darcy just shook her head. "God it feels weird to be called that."

"I can imagine.." Jane shuddered momentarily. She was not a kid-person. "So what're you gonna do about the whole baby-daddy situation?" She asked, delicately. "If not Steve, are you gonna be with Barnes?" 

"I dunno." Darcy came around the counter, sitting down next to Jane. "I don't think I should go being with anyone just because there's a baby in the mix."

"Very true. Do you have feelings for him though?" Jane said. The two had seemed rather close these last few months, but especially the past week. Barnes seemed overjoyed at Darcy's pregnancy - Jane had even busted him in the bookstore on the ground floor of the tower, buying pregnancy books. If Jane was rooting for anyone, it was Bucky.

"Well, yeah. He's one of my best friends, and he's really been there for me since the whole breakup. Not to mention the sex." Darcy smiled at the memory. "If things had been different, I could have ended up with him. I love him, and that love gets less and less platonic the more I see him. But, it's too messy now. I don't think it's fair to choose one of them over the other. I mean, what happens if I marry Steve, and it's Bucky's baby. Or something develops with Bucky, and it's Steve's baby? I couldn't do that to either of them."

Fuck, this was a mess. 

Darcy's phone chose that moment to ding. She unlocked it, seeing a message from Bucky.

**Hey Doll. Dinner 2nite? Me & Steve? We all need to talk.**

Darcy groaned, then held up the phone so Jane could read the message. 

"Looks like you have some thinking to do today, Darce." Jane said, patting her on the arm.

"Damn." Darcy said, typing a quick reply. 

**Sounds like a plan. My place at 7? I'll make a roast**

She hit send before she could chicken out of it, and turned back to Jane.

"Are you sure I can't drink?" 

Jane grimaced sympathetically. "Sorry, no alcohol."

"Just as well I guess, drinking got me into this mess. Though, I 'spose it's not like I could get pregnant _again_."

"If anyone could, Darce, it'd be you."

"Ain't that the truth."

. . .

 

Jane had stayed with Darcy until the early afternoon, helping her write pros and cons lists, but Darcy was no closer to a solution or a decision when dinner time rolled around. The roast was on the table at 6:56. She may have been just a little too keen to get this conversation over with. No sense drawing it out longer than it had to be.

She had just finished pouring drinks (Coke for Steve, Dr Pepper for Bucky), when there was a knock at the door.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Discussions are had

"Sweetheart, Bucky and I have been talking today.. We were hoping we could do this whole baby thing together. All three of us." Steve began, as they sat down to dinner.

"Okay. I can get on board with that." Darcy interjected. "But I'm going to be completely, brutally honest, for a minute." 

Bucky and Steve shared a hopeful look between them. 

"We're all ears, Darcy." Steve smiled reassuringly (if not nervously) at her, and Bucky nodded in agreement.

"Okay, so. I fucked up, and I lied to both of you. You both know my reasons for that. But I never _wanted_ to exclude either of you." 

Bucky and Steve nodded in agreement.

"We know that, Doll. You ain't the only one who's messed things up." Bucky said.

"If you guys want to be involved, I need all of us to have a clean slate from here. For all our sakes, especially the baby. That means no out of the blue proposals, no secrets, and no unilateral decisions. It means the three of us, all on even ground with each other." Darcy breathed, and Bucky made to speak.

"I'm sorry Bucky, but please, let me finish?" Darcy asked.

He nodded, leaning back in his seat.

"I don't care who the father is. I really don't. I care about both of you, and I don't want anyone to get hurt here. If we're doing this together, I need you both to promise not to get macho and competitive about this. I need to know that once you're in this, it's for the long haul. If that's not what either of you want I won't judge you for walking." She finished, taking a sip of her soft drink and wishing it was wine.

"That sounds fair." Bucky said.

"Absolutely." Steve agreed.

"So, relationships.. I'm not going to choose between the two of you." Darcy said firmly.

"Stevie knows that now, Doll. We won't make you choose. We both love you and we'll have you any way you want us." Bucky reached over to hold her right hand, and Steve grasped her left.

"What Bucky means, is that we would both love to be with you, but you can choose neither of us, one of us, or both of us." Steve said sincerely.

Darcy choked on her drink.

"Good job, Punk." Bucky shook his head at Steve. "I was getting to that." 

Steve looked sheepish.

"Both of you?" She looked between the two of them. "You mean, like a brother-husbands thing?"

Bucky laughed. "Not exactly. We were thinking more of a polyamory thing, if you were comfortable with that."

 _Fuck it._ Darcy was actually considering it.

"What would that entail?" She asked, looking between the two. 

"Anything you want, Doll." Steve said, and for the first time in a long time she actually believed him. God, she had missed him. And here he was, offering her anything she wanted, hoping she would choose him in some way, shape or form. They all had their issues, sure. But she loved them both, and god if she hadn't thought about taking them both to bed _together_ before. She wanted to say yes.

"I didn't even know you guys were into each other," was what she said instead. Her dinner was all but forgotten now.

It was Steve who answered her. "Before the war, we slept together. It was only the once though. Times were different, and we both liked," He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, "I mean, we both like women too. We both love you, and we love each other."

"I really think we could make this work, Doll. But only if you want it." Bucky said.

Darcy bit her lip nervously.

"I want it."


	6. Author's note

So I really hate to be that author that posts a note as a chapter, and I'm really sorry if I got your hopes up that this was a real update.

I've been struggling to get in the right headspace to update this story, and I dont normally explain myself, but I think I ought to. 

My husband and I are struggling with infertility, have been for almost two years now. This makes writing Darcy's pregnancy difficult, as you might imagine. 

I originally thought this story would be therapeutic, which is why I started it. And it was great fun to write for a while. But as the months tick by, I'm less and less able to even think about writing a pregnancy.

I was blown away by the response to this fic, and I promise I do intend to finish it. Just not right now. 

Thanks for the reviews and the kudos, and for understanding. ♡

I hope I can post an update soon.


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